April 3, 2015

The Art of Losing Yourself

This book should come with a warning – or maybe more than
one! I didn’t cry while I was reading but have cried since finishing the book
last night a minimum of three times just thinking about everything I read and felt.

I’ve read all of Ganshert’s novels so I knew there would be
a serious side to at least one character but nothing could have prepared me for
the emotions I felt as I connected with Carmen. No, we haven’t gone through the
same exact struggles but like her I have experienced secret pain and sadness
and really empathized with her character. And I can only imagine quite a few
teenagers could at least sympathize with some of Gracie’s problems in life
especially bullying and peer pressure at school and a divorced alcoholic mother
at home.

Ganshert’s use of first person for both Carmen and Gracie’s
alternating viewpoints in this book really sets the tone for their stories. I appreciated
the headings for each section telling me which character was talking but their
voices were so strong and distinct that I would have known who it was anyway. And
the dialogue – especially the conversations between Ben and Carmen were
perfect. You could hear the hurt and pain in both of their voices and could
almost see the looks on their faces. Carmen’s flashbacks were a little
challenging for me to keep up with but were such a great addition to the story
that it didn’t distract me and thankfully kept the pace of the story moving
instead of slowing it down. I loved how effortlessly she moved from Carmen to
Gracie without losing me. Sometimes in books written this way I find myself
wanting to skip chapters just to get back to my favorite character’s point of
view but I never felt that way in The Art
of Losing Yourself.

This story is full of tension. Carmen and Gracie both have
an overwhelming amount of internal conflicts in their lives but those of course
spill out into their relationships with everyone around them. It was especially
amazing to see the growth in Gracie’s life as love and the right kind of
attention were poured into her life. It was evident reading this book that
Ganshert truly understands the types of hurt her characters portrayed.

I love anytime a book gets two romance stories in one. It
was cute to watch Gracie falling for a guy but it was so realistic to see the romantic
tension in Ben and Carmen’s marriage. They definitely experienced real life
issues. However, when they “made up” it did seem a little too fast for me. But I loved that they were finally
communicating with each other on a deep level. I also appreciated that Carmen
portrayed a woman struggling in her personal spiritual life. I love it when
characters have real life issues but somehow find a way to grow closer to God
throughout the story. That is why I read Christian Fiction. I want to learn
from the characters in the book.

Ganshert has such a gift for taking hard subjects and
turning them into spectacular material for a novel. Even though this book covers
some difficult topics (bullying, peer pressure, alcohol, marital discord, and
miscarriages) she does it in such a way that it actually helps people that have
dealt with those or similar issues. I found myself mulling over this book for a
long time after I finished reading it. I just couldn’t get enough of the
lessons the characters learned about life. I would recommend this book to anyone
but especially to women who have dealt with great loss or suffering in their
lives. I lost sleep finishing this book and I lost sleep after I finished
reading because I was so caught up in Ben and Carmen’s lives. I’m really hoping
for a sequel!

Waterbrook Press provided me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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